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WEST WHISPERINWEST WHISPERINWEST WHISPERINWEST WHISPERINGSGSGSGS 19191919 SEPTEMBERSEPTEMBERSEPTEMBERSEPTEMBER 2012012012014444

SAFETY RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY

SWPBS Purpose Statement:

Toowoomba West Special School is committed to

promoting a safe, respectful and responsible school

community that enables our students to reach their

full potential.

In this issue:

• Focus on Curriculum …………………………………………………………….

• Discipline Audit …………………………………………………………………...

• It’s Haircut Time! Free haircut for your child these holidays!

• Catch Up Morning Tea for August and September ……………….

• Drop Off Areas to Undergo Transformation ………………………...

• Dental Care in between Dental Van visits …………………………….

• The NDIS ……………………………………………………………………………..

• School Wide Positive Behaviour Support Update …………..…….

• Staff Changes ……………………………………………………………………….

• P&C’s Toowoomba disABILITY Business Awards …………………..

• Coming Events ……………………………………………………………………..

• Access to Justice of the Peace ……………………………………………...

• Visits to Paediatricians ………………………………………………………...

FOCUS ON CURRICUM

On Wednesday 17 September

we held a Celebration Day

where we celebrated the

achievements of our students

through highlighting curriculum

engagement. Classes in each of

the three Cohorts and our Early

Childhood Development

Program displayed photos,

materials and artefacts to

demonstrate examples of

student engagement in their work around the Australian

Curriculum and for the ECDP, the Early Years Curriculum

Guidelines. There was a steady stream through the displays

with very positive feedback. Thanks for coming!

ECDP display

Cohort 3 English

Cohort 1 Science

Keifer’s grandparents enjoyed looking at the displays this week

DISCIPLINE AUDIT

As part of an initiative to strengthen discipline in Queensland

State schools, Discipline Audits will be conducted in every

TOOWOOMBA WEST SPECIAL SCHOOL 26 Gladstone St, Toowoomba Q. 4350

Phone: 4638 6333 / Fax: 4638 6300

Website: www.toowwestspecs.eq.edu.au

Email: the.principal@toowwestspecs.eq.edu.au

Principal: Lea Formigoni

Deputy Principal: Glenn Gatehouse

Preppies from Cohort 2

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Queensland state school by November 2014. The purpose of

the Discipline Audits is to provide quality feedback on how the

school is ensuring a safe, supportive and disciplined learning

environment and to inform school behaviour management

planning processes.

Toowoomba West underwent its first Discipline Audit earlier

this month. During the audit, an independent, experienced

special school principal visited the school to collect a range of

data and information about school wide programs and

procedures in the area of discipline. Interviews were conducted

with staff, students and parents to gather a range of

perspectives on school strategies and practices in relation to

behaviour management. We were very pleased with our results

on that day across the five audited domains. The summary of

our 5 page Profile:

1. Principal Leadership ���� high

2. Parent and Community Engagement ���� high

3. Data Informed Decision Making ���� medium to high

4. Clear Consistent expectations for behaviour ����medium to

mainly high

5. Explicit teaching of appropriate behaviours to all students

���� medium to mainly high.

Our Executive Summary from the day is yet to arrive. It will

have affirmations, commendations and recommendations. This,

along with our 5 page summary (in full), will be published on our

school website. The adoption of School-Wide Positive

Behaviour Support has helped to position us for a positive result!

IT’S HAIRCUT TIME!

Parents of one school leader Madi

Holdsworth recently made a very

generous offer to all families of our

school: during the September

holidays Brad and Karen Holdsworth

want to offer to ALL kids at TWSS free

haircuts at their salon! The dates would be

September 25 and 26 and Oct 2 and 3.

If any of the parents want to book there kids in they can ring

their office at any time. The name of the salon is “Ruby’s”,

located at 18 Duggan Street, Toowoomba. Phone: 4632 9915

or 4642 5132.

CATCH UP MORNING TEAS –

AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER

Megan Apalais (Vice President of our

P&C) has hosted another two Catch Up

Morning Teas on Wednesday 19

August and Wednesday 17 September.

They were great opportunities to share

and support, as well as catch up on

what’s happening in our school and

community.

Andrew Hawke (Principal of Clifford Park Special School) and

Corina Searchfield (Deputy Principal) presented at the August

meeting on the transition of our students to high school at

Clifford Park, in light of the current Junior Secondary which is

happening statewide. Parent2Parent representatives Joyanne

Clark and Steven Paull (who are both Planning Facilitators)

presented on P2P services at this week’s meeting.

Parent2Parent website is: parent2parentqld.org.au

DROP OFF AREAS TO UNDERGO TRANSFORMATION

Over these school holidays we will be having some

major works done at the front of our

main drop off areas. At last we will

have a one way, drive through drop

off area (instead of a turnaround

circle). Coupled with this is the

widening of the minibus drop off

zone (adjacent to the front pedestrian gate). This will relieve

congestion and the narrowing of the street in front of the school

at peak times, and will streamline the vehicle drop offs inside

the school and minimise queuing etc. This has been a

collaboration between the advocacy of our proactive Parents

and Citizen’s Association, our EQ Facilities Manager, the

Toowoomba Regional Council and local member Trevor Watts.

It has been a long time coming! Thanks also to Glenn

Gatehouse who has also played a major role in facilities

advocacy around this much-needed development.

DENTAL CARE IN BETWEEN DENTAL VAN VISITS

The School Dental Service, provided by the Toowoomba Oral

Health Service, offers general treatment to children from 4

years of age to students in Year 10, during regular visits to

schools.

Outside the regular school visits, an emergency service is

available. In the event that eligible children and school students

experience dental pain, swelling or trauma, EMERGENCY CARE

ONLY can be accessed by ringing the Toowoomba Oral Health

Clinic on 1300 082 662 between 8.00am and 9.00 am where the

emergent problem will be triaged. During afterhours / public

holidays attend the Emergency Department at the Toowoomba

Base Hospital. All other routine matters such as check-ups,

orthodontic assessments and fillings cannot be provided until

the dental van returns to the school. As an alternative, dental

care may be sought any time at your own private family dentist.

The NDIS

On 20 August our P&C ran a very successful forum presentation

on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). There were

more than 50 interested people who attended on the day. The

main presenter was Helen Ferguson (Regional Director South

West Region for Disability and Community Services) who was

accompanied by Desiree Franke (Manager, Service Access).

Prior to the event attendees like myself admitted that they did

not know very much about the NDIS. This presentation focused

on initial awareness-raising, about what the NDIS would look

like and how it will be implemented.

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Helen Ferguson and Desiree Franke with Lea Formigoni, P&C President Paul

Wilson, Member for Toowoomba North Trevor Watts and Glenn Gatehouse

The Queensland Government has plans and initiatives underway

to be ready for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

to commence in Queensland from July 2016. People with

disability, families, carers, providers, and sectors are getting

ready to take up opportunities that the scheme will bring to

Queensland.

The Department of Communities has recently established the

Queensland NDIS Update e-blast to provide information about

activities and initiatives. The e-blast is free to subscribe to and is

delivered directly into people’s email. If you want to register

for the NDIS E-Blast Email update, log on to:

http://www.vision6.com.au/em/forms/subscribe.php?db=4072

82&s=124852&a=46821&k=dd645ea

Attached to this newsletter you should find another NDIS

information initiative, this time sponsored by Parent2Parent.

This might be particularly attractive to those families who were

not able to come to the P&C’s event.

‘TALK LIKE A PIRATE’ DAY – 19 SEPTEMBER!

Today is ‘International Talk like a Pirate Day’ to raise money and

awareness for Childhood Cancer Support. It is one of the best

days for FUN on the school calendar as our students and staff

dress up and talk like pirates – and what better way to let off

steam at the end of a long term finally arrives. Thanks to those

families who kindly donated to this worthy cause.

ADJUSTMENT PAYMENT

A one-off payment following a catastrophic event when a child

under 7 years of age is diagnosed with a severe illness, medical

condition or major disability:

http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrel

ink/carer-adjustment-payment

SCHOOL WIDE

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT

Our school SWPBS team (including parent rep Megan Apalais)

continues to meet each fortnight after school. Our school’s

SWPBS Action Plan (outlining our positive expectations that we

will have for student behaviours in different areas of the school

across the entire day) has now been finalised. The next step is

to develop lessons around each of the behaviours which will be

explicitly taught in all classrooms. Megan Thompson (our

internal SWPBS coach) is working on a draft version of

behaviours that constitute ‘major’ and ‘minor’ incidents. This

will take time during our meetings after school throughout the

rest of the year as well as working on other aspects such as

professional development on the elements we have covered so

far on our SWPBS journey.

Lea on behalf of the TWSS SWPBS Team

STAFF CHANGES

Jacqui Henning is on leave for the remainder of this year and is

being replaced by Cara Morey. Jacqui Twidale will be teaching

Theresa Westaway’s group (currently taken by Wendy Smith)

for Term 4. Amy Olson has been our Curriculum Co-ordinator

and is now on maternity leave. Taking up her role is Larissa Vale.

After the holidays, Vivian Almeida will take over as teacher of

Larissa’s group for Term 4. At the end of this term we say

farewell to Cathy Griessen and Lisa Rowe, and thank them for

their contribution over the past months.

TOOWOOMBA DISABILITY BUSINESS AWARDS

Our Parent & Citizen

Association’s third

annual Toowoomba

disABILITY Business

Awards (TBDA) was

held on Saturday

evening 30 August at

Weis’ Marquee.

LEFT: Lea with Ron, Carolyn and 13 year old Sophie Delezio

This event developed from a desire of our P & C to have a strong

focus on the future of our young people which involved the

need to recognise those businesses that support, educate and

employ people with a disability in the Toowoomba region.

Weis’ Marquee was the perfect venue for the awards

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The Committee has a strong commitment to the future of our

students, and indeed to the overall employment of people with

a disability in the mainstream workforce – as both a community

benefit, and a viable commercial decision. We believe in

encouraging engagement between local businesses and people

with a disability, to gain meaningful employment in our

community.

A panel of professionals within the disability and business

sectors adjudicated each of the nominations received, and

awarded the winner in the categories of Employment,

Innovation and Access, Community Group Engagement and

Outstanding Individual.

Member for Toowoomba South John McVeigh and Scott Templeman

Rod McGregor (‘The Old Fella’) with Mr Glenn and P&C Treasurer Mark Powell

Keynote speaker at the awards was Ron Delezio, father of

Sophie Delezio who was severely burned at the age of 2 when a

car ploughed into her daycare centre. Three years later Sophie

was hit by a car while crossing a pedestrian crossing in her

wheelchair and thrown 18 metres. Ron Delezio and Carolyn

Martin (Sophie’s parents) founded the Day of Difference

Foundation in response to their shared experiences with

parents of critically injured children across Australia.

Local speaker on the evening was Scott Templeman. Scott is the

President of the Down Syndrome Association of Qld (DSAQ). MC

for the evening was Rod McGregor (The Old Fella) who has

mastered the craft of comedy with his clever and often risqué

blend of Aussie humour entwined within his stories. He himself

has two grandchildren with Autism.

Among guests were Judy Antonio (Patron of this event), TRC

Mayor Paul Antonio, John McVeigh

(Member for Toowoomba South), Trevor

Watts (Member for Toowoomba North)

and Councillor Sue Englart.

P&C President Paul Wilson is to be

congratulated for the passion and energy

he brings to leading a small group of

committed people to organise this annual

event.

****************************************************

As another busy term draws to a close, I’d like to thank you for

your support and wish you all a happy and safe holiday period.

The first day of next term will be Tuesday 7 October (as 6

October is the Labour Day holiday), and there will be a Student

Free Day on Monday 20 October.

Till next time

Lea

������������������������ Coming Events ������������������������

21 Sept to 5 Oct School Holidays

Mon 6 October Labour Day Holiday

Tues 7 October Term 3 Commences

Mon 20 October Student Free Day

Sat 15 November P&C Race Day at Toowoomba Turf Club

On Wednesdays Gail Saw, our Uniform Co-ordinator,

comes in to collect and place orders for uniforms.

ACCESS TO JP

Mr. Glenn, our Deputy Principal, is a registered Justice of the

Peace (Qual.). Should you need the services of a JP (Qual.)

please enquire at the office to make a time to meet with him.

Visits to Paediatricians or other specialists: If your child has a paediatric or neurologist’s visit coming up,

please let your child’s teacher know. This will enable us to

provide an update about your child’s progress at school.

Paediatricians and other specialists tell us that they find

information from school to be very valuable e.g. in relation to a

child’s behaviour, ability to concentrate, cognitive and physical

skills, energy levels etc. while at school. It would be desirable

to have at least one week’s notice for a report.